nN + xAB (where N = Nutters and AB = Alcoholic Beverages) = chaos. Find value of n and x.

If the night before last could be described as 'wild' then I am really not sure how one defines the goings on yesterday evening. Far more people than was really comfortable from what I can ascertain - apparently there is a threshold number of rally-goers that can gather in one place and remain civilised and when this is broken, people start to graffiti each other's cars with things like "The Witches tried to turn these two men into handsome princes but the spell didn't work".

Happily, the more testosterone-fuelled and macho-ego teams are mostly kept at bay by the friends mum and Jane had already made, and many of them have left for Africa this morning whereas Peg has dictated (by refusing to stay fixed) another day's stop in Gibraltar. They are out in Algeciras (which between mum's pronunciation and my cloth ears always sounds like Al Jazeera and worries me slightly) this morning, going to a garage where hopefully they will have more effective tools and parts than blocks of old wood. They are also hoping to squeeze in a little shopping - can you believe they left their ballgowns and pearls behind and have to buy replacements en route? Tch, honestly! With that and the china cups and saucers, and the dinner jackets, I am looking forward to photographs of a very dressy tea party in the desert.

So, the ferry crossing has been postponed until Tuesday, but they certainly won't be going alone as they have formed quite a tight little clique with Birmingham Irish and Dynamo Dysart, and will possibly have Team Are We There Yet along too. If nothing else, humour will keep them rolling; every time I speak to mum she sounds like she has just stopped laughing at something faux-coarse the lads have come out with.

The other important piece of news from over the weekend is that mum has given up smoking. She had three or four cigarettes while crossing Europe (obviously opportunities were scarce as she didn't want to gas Jane) and then decided after a chat with Kenny that she didn't need them and handed them over! Congratulations mummy!

For anyone who is reading this blog and wants to keep track of all the teams I am mentioning, and see mum and Jane's SMS updates, click here and look at the field reports for group five.

11:50 edited to add: The car is now fixed again.